Everyone knows how to play a tug of war. You get two teams, a heavy rope, maybe a mud filled pit, a little flag and you have a tug of war. You tie the little flag in the middle of the rope and then place that little flag exactly in the middle of the muddy pit. Then the two teams pick up the rope, the referee makes sure the little flag is in the exact middle of the muddy pit, and then off they go! They begin pulling on the rope and the object is to get the little flag completely on to your side of the field by crossing the edge of the muddy pit that is closest to your team. Once the flag crosses over that muddy pit in your direction your team wins. Why a muddy pit? Because if you do it right then the other team winds up in the muddy pit and that is the spoils of war. There are a lot of videos on the internet that show you how not to do the tug of war with the most graphic being of a Japanese man at picnic who wraps the rope around his shoulder and gets his arm tore off. You can really get hurt in the tug of war so be careful and make sure it is what you want to be doing before you get in there. But for all of the picnic tug of wars that happen did you know that the tug of war has been a competitive event for over 100 years?

No one really knows where the idea for a tug of war came from, many people think the ancient Egyptian were playing a tug of war, but it came into international prominence in the 1900 Summer Olympic Games when it was introduced as an Olympic competition. It flourished as an Olympic event for 20 years until it was discontinued after the 1920 Olympics. After a several decade hiatus the tug of war resurfaced in international competition when the World Games was first competed in 1981. The World Games is competed ever four years but in odd numbered years so as not to try and directly compete with the Olympic games which are contested on the even years. The tug of war has been a permanent part of the World Games since it started in 1981 and promises to be a prominent event when the World Games compete again in 2009 in Chinese Taipei.

The tug of war as an organized competition is extremely popular in Europe especially in England, Ireland, and the Netherlands. International tug of war competition bodies such as the Tug Of War International Federation hold events all over the world while regional organizations such as the Scottish Tug Of War Association and the Dutch Tug Of War Association hold regional and national events to crown annual champions. Back in the Olympic days England, Sweden, and Denmark were frequent tug of war medalists so it probably stands to reason that the tug of war finds its greatest support in these European nations. The United States won medals in the tug of war as well but the sport has never really caught on in the United States with any kind of sustained popularity. That would explain why there is such a lack of tug of war associations in the United States but an over abundance of them in England and throughout Europe. The United States usually does field a team for the tug of war competition at the World Games every four years.